ARLINGTON, Texas — When Caitlin Clark laces 'em up for the first time in an Indiana Fever uniform, it'll be right here in North Texas.
The Indiana Fever's first preseason game is set for Friday, May 3 against the Dallas Wings at College Park Center in Arlington, Texas.
Clark is no stranger to DFW, either. Her rise to stardom hit another stratosphere right here in Dallas during Iowa's 2023 run to the Final Four.
At the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Clark and No. 2 seed Iowa upset No. 1 seed South Carolina in the semifinal, followed by the highly-discussed national championship versus No. 3 seed LSU, which sparked national interest in Clark's senior season. Clark and Iowa took television ratings for women's college basketball to new heights and sold out arenas at astronomical prices.
Now, the No. 1 overall pick by the Indiana Fever, Clark's momentum of attracting more eyeballs to the sport shifts to the pro game.
When will Caitlin Clark, Indiana Fever play in DFW against the Dallas Wings?
As mentioned before, the Fever's first game with Clark in the lineup will come in a preseason game on Friday, May 3.
After that, the Fever don't return to Dallas-Fort Worth until Wednesday, July 17.
Then, Clark and the Fever return again on Sunday, Sept. 1.
The final matchup between the Fever and the Wings will be Sunday, Sept. 15, but at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Both regular season games played in DFW will be nationally televised. The preseason matchup will air on regional sports network Bally Sports Southwest.
- Friday, May 3 (preseason): Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings
- Bally Sports Southwest, WNBA League Pass
- 7 p.m. CST
- Wednesday, July 17: Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings
- ESPN, WNBA League Pass
- 6:30 p.m. CST
- Sunday, Sept. 1: Indiana Fever at Dallas Wings
- NBA TV, WNBA League Pass
- 3 p.m. CST
- Sunday, Sept. 15: Dallas Wings at Indiana Fever
- WNBA League Pass
- 2 p.m. CST
With record ratings for the NCAA championship game and nearly every other game she played this season, Clark is joining the WNBA at the right time. The league has its TV deal expiring at the end of next year and that could lead to a massive new contract for the WNBA.
The WNBA just had its most-watched season in 21 years, averaging 462,000 viewers per game across ABC, ESPN and CBS. The league also had its most-watched Finals in 20 years that featured Las Vegas and New York. It was up 36% from the previous season. The league’s attendance rose 16% — it’s highest figure since 2018. Throw Clark into the mix and that number could grow exponentially.
“When you’re given an opportunity, women’s sports just kind of thrives,” Clark said. “I think that’s been the coolest thing for me on this journey. We started our season playing in front of 55,000 people in Kinnick Stadium, and now we’re ending it playing in front of probably 15 million people or more on TV. It just continues to get better and better and better. That’s never going to stop.”
She certainly will be an attendance boost for the Fever, who were second-to-last in home attendance averaging just over 4,000 fans. The Fever play in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, which could hold 20,000 spectators.
The College Park Center holds 7,000 people.
Dallas Wings look to duplicate 2023 success
After a historic 2023 season, the Dallas Wings added two new members to its roster during the WNBA Draft on Monday night as they look to duplicate that success in 2024.
With the No. 5 pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft, the Wings chose fifth-year senior guard Jacy Sheldon out of Ohio State. An Ohio native and second-team AP All-American this year, Sheldon will look bring some defensive grit to the Wings backcourt. A two-time All-Defensive team selection in the Big Ten, the 5-foot-10 Sheldon also averaged 17.8 points, 3.8 assists and 3.2 rebounds per game while shooting 50.5% from the field and 37.3% from three-point range.
Then, with the No. 9 overall pick, the team selected another guard, Carla Leite of France. Just 20 years old, the 5-foot-9 point guard averaged 15.8 points, 5.5 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game while playing for Tarbes Gespe Bigorre of the Ligue Féminine de Basketball this past season. It's unclear if Leite will join the roster immediately, or be allowed to develop more in France before being brought over to the WNBA.
Whenever they join the team, the new additions -- two of 12 players picked in the draft's opening round -- will join a talented roster already featuring All-WNBA First Team forward Satou Sabally and three-time WNBA All-Star Arike Ogunbowale, who led the Wings last season to their first playoff series win since moving to Dallas in 2016.
The team is committed to its core, too. Sabally signed a new contract with the Wings earlier this offseason. So, too, did center Kalani Brown, who helped provide the Wings with a real paint presence after joining the roster ahead of the 2023 campaign.
The Wings' 2024 season -- and second year under Head Coach Latricia Trammel -- is just a month away. The first regular season game for the Wings will take place on Wednesday, May 15, where they'll welcome two more brand new stars of the league: Chicago Sky's new dynamic post duo of LSU's Angel Reese and South Carolina's Kamilla Cardoso.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
More Dallas Wings coverage: